University of Hyderabad

The University of Hyderabad (UoH, but also known as HCU, for Hyderabad Central University) is a Central University located in the city of Hyderabad in Telangana, India. Founded in 1974, this public and largely residential university occupies about 2000 acres in the locality of Gachibowli on the outskirts of the city. The University came into existence as one of the points of the so-called Six-Point Formula of 1973, the political settlement arrived at after the protests during the 1960s and early 1970s in the region. The organic chemist and Professor of Chemistry at the Banaras Hindu University, Gurbakhsh Singh was the first Vice-Chancellor of the UoH, from 1974 to 1979. Shri B D Jatti was the first Chancellor of the University. The Governor of the state of Telangana is ex-officio the Chief Rector of the University, while the President of India is the Visitor to the University.

In January 2015 University of Hyderabad has been selected for the Visitor’s Award for the Best Central University in India.

Academics

AdmissionThe University is primarily a post-graduate research University. UoH conducts its own entrance examinations for all the courses during the month of February every year and interviews in the month of May every year. The University offers Integrated M.A/MSc, M.A, MSc, M.F.A, M.Tech, M.B.A, M.C.A, M.Phil and Ph.D degrees. Admission to UoH is highly selective and competitive. The University follows the reservation system given in the UGC guidelines while admitting students.

Teaching and LearningThe University follows the semester calendar beginning in mid-July and ending in early-May. About 90% of the students are residential. The Master’s programme is usually of 2 years while the M.Phil and Ph.D programme are of 1 and 5 years respectively. The tuition fees for the Integrated Master’s programme is INR 3900/- while for the Master’s programme is between 4000 – 12000/- depending on the course. The tuition fees for research degrees range from INR 4405/- INR 16000/-.

The University follows the continuous assessment pattern where 40% of the marks are allotted for internal assessment and 60% for external examination. The students are graded on a 10.0 point scale with D being the lowest passing grade while A+ being the highest. The toppers of each of the post-graduate taught course in the general and reserved categories are awarded the University Gold Medal.

Research The University is a public research university with high research activity in every department and awards about 300 doctorates every year.

Library

The university library is a central facility to support teaching and research activities of the University. This present library building was inaugurated by his Excellency late Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, the then Vice President of India, on 21 October 1988 and named after late Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

Indira Gandhi Memorial library is the first automated university library in the country. The library serves as a resources station to all scholars and has a print collection around four Lakhs that include monographs, text books, back volumes of journals, theses / dissertations, CDs/DVDs. It subscribes around 500 print journals in various disciplines of the university and provides access to more than 25000 e-resources including e-books. It also comprises a reading room which is accessible round-the-clock for the benefit of the students.

RankingsThe University has been recognized by University Grants Commission as a “University with Potential for Excellence”. The University ranks amongst the top ten Universities in the country. It has been re-accredited with an A Grade (CGPA of 3.72/4.00) by NAAC in 2014 which is the third cycle.

India Today placed UoH at the fifth position in its rankings of Universities for 2014. UoH also features in the QS rankings of top 200 Asian Universities.

Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurship

The Department of Information Technology (DIT), Government of India, offers support for potential entrepreneurs in the areas of Electronics, Information Technology and Communications. To qualify to be considered for support, the applicants will need to have conducted some formal work on their ideas. They may contact: Co-coordinator, TIDE-UoH at grrsp@uohyd.ernet.in

The Integrated Master’s Program

College for Integrated Studies (CIS) was established in the year 2006-07 to offer 5 year Integrated Master’s Degree courses in several subjects for imparting specialised education to the young boys and girls on completion of their +2 level of education. The Centre offers 5-year integrated Master’s Degree courses in Science, Humanities and Social Science subjects. The five year Integrated M.A. (I.M.A.) and M.Sc. (I.M.Sc.) course of the University of Hyderabad is not merely an integrated program that combines pre-graduate and post-graduate studies, but is also trans-disciplinary, cutting across several disciplines. Every student admitted in this program is provided with financial assistance.

SIP: The Study in India Program

The University of Hyderabad’s Study in India Program (SIP) for foreign students began as a small experimental summer initiative where students from the University of Pittsburgh took nine credits over nine weeks in the summer of 1998. Since then, SIP has grown in leaps and bounds and has gone from hosting eight students in its debut year to nearly 200 in the most recent academic year. The University Grants Commission (UGC), a governmental organization in India tasked with determining and maintaining standards for university education, has hailed the Study in India Program as a model initiative and has encouraged other universities in India to emulate the program’s approach. SIP’s strength is its flexibility and willing to innovate to meet the needs of universities and study abroad consortia. SIP has created specialized, tailor-made programs for partners such as Dartmouth College, Duke University and the Nordic Centre in India—a consortium of 15 Nordic universities. Students can apply on their own, through their home schools, or through study abroad consortia that are SIP partners.

In 2014 the SIP Program has been selected for IIE Andrew Heiskell Award. Thirteen Campuses in the world have been recognized for their Outstanding International Initiatives. UoH is the only University from Asia to be recognized.

Centre for Distance and Virtual Learning

The University of Hyderabad started offering Post Graduate Diploma Programmes through distance mode since 1994. The target groups identified for these Programmes are (a) In service personnel looking forward to improve their skills and knowledge to enable to go up in the ladder in their own organisation or elsewhere and (b) Fresh graduate intending to improve their chances of employments on successful completion of these programmes.

Academic Staff College

Established in 1987 as a major initiative in augmenting quality in Higher Education, the UGC promoted 66 Academic Staff Colleges. The Academic Staff College of University of Hyderabad is a constituent unit of the University offering Orientation, Refresher and need-based courses for Assistant Professors / Associate Professors working in Universities and Colleges.

It is an important academic wing of the University. Apart from the training programmes for teachers, the Academic Staff College conducts Professional Development Programmes for Principals and Administrators. The faculty is also taking up the teaching assignments and research guidance in their respective departments. National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) Peer Review Committee from Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) visited Academic Staff College during 19 – 21 January 2012 for peer reviewing of its activities and accredited this Academic Staff College, University of Hyderabad as ranked no. 4 in India.

Hostels, Canteens and Recreational Centres

There are 18 hostels (Ten for men and eight for women) for students to stay in. The SIP students are allotted the Tagore International Guest House. There are two shopping complexes; one at the North campus and one situated at the South Campus. Also, there are four canteens viz. the student’s canteen, Goodwill Canteen, a canteen adjacent to the Administration block and one situated inside the School of Life Sciences.

There are four multipurpose auditoriums within the campus. The DST auditorium is the largest with a capacity of 700 used mainly for cultural events, seminars, public talks and screening of documentaries and movies. The CV Raman Auditorium with a capacity of 200 is located inside the Science complex which serves as a conference and seminar hall. The BR Ambedkar auditorium is mainly used for cultural events, public talks, debates and other events. There is another auditorium located inside the Humanities block.